Turtles and Benders
by KatO93
Summary: Sequel to "You Found Me". A year after defeating their enemies, the Turtles and Verena meet up with three new female benders that the Dark Benders want for their powers. Can our Heroes in a Half Shell and Yin Warrior protect them from an old enemy? Will the other three brothers fall in love? And will Leo ask the big question to his soulmate? Takes place in the 2003 universe. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello hello hello! I just finished this chapter last night and I would have had it up earlier but I got busy today. So with a very excited and eager attitude, I give you all the first chapter of "Turtles and Benders". As always, I do not own TMNT, only my OCs. Here we go:)**

Chapter 1: The Benders of New York City

Unknown P.O.V.:

Never in my life would I ever think about running and jumping through rooftops, but it certainly beats staying at home and doing nothing. The night is still young in the grand Big Apple, everyone all around the city is busy going out to have fun or they're making their way home from a long day of work. Every single car lights up the crowded streets along with each building that makes the city look like the stars in space. Man, nothing in the world can beat my home of New York City. I love everything about this city, except for the Purple Dragons and those assholes need to go.

Speaking of Purple Dragons, I hear and see one of their trucks drive into the alley of a jewelry store right across the street from where I'm at. I guess I better stop by and say hello, New York style. Taking a couple of steps back I run to the edge of the roof, jumping off of it and doing flips all the way down to the other side of the street. I hide with my back against the wall and look into the alleyway as I spot the Purple Dragons coming out of the jewelry store with their bags filled and throwing them in the trunk of the truck. These dipsticks picked the wrong night to get into trouble. I quickly use my earth-bending and throw a giant rock at a trash can, knocking it over and scaring them as they take out their weapons and search for who did that.

I step out and whistle for their attention, "Hello boys."

They all look at each other and snicker, "Well hello ta you too, you incredibly sexy woman." One of them said and walks to me, touching my face with his nasty hand, "How about you forget what you saw and I'll show ya a really good time at my place."

I grasp his wrist in my hand and grin, "As tempting as that sounds," I squeeze his wrist and flip him on his back hearing him groan, "I'm not that kind of woman, chum." I stare at the rest of them, "Don't be shy boys, there's plenty to go around."

"Ha! Like we're gonna be scared of you, lady." Another one with a dragon tattoo on his face said and held a giant bent pipe, "You don't even stand a chance against all of us."

"Is that so? Well then," I get into a fighting stance, "looks like you're going to have to prove it. Unless you fellas are chicken."

He growled and turned to the others, "Bust the broad up Dragons!"

All of them charge at me with their bats and fists raised in the air like they're ready to go to war, but I cannot help but grin bigger seeing how stupid they look. These Purple Dragons have no idea who they are dealing with, the abilities that I possess are greater than their own. A guy with blue shaggy hair swings his bat at me aiming for my head, but I lean to my left and jab him on his right cheek and he falls to the ground. The next one is a woman with long purple hair with a chain as she tries to hit me with it like a whip, it wraps around my left arm and I pull her in kicking the poor thing in the stomach. I'm about to take out their leader when all of a sudden I get grabbed from behind by a big guy and he lifts me up, squeezing me so tight until I feel like I am about to pop a vein. I pull my body down as my feet touch the ground, ram my head to his face, and grab his arm throwing him to two more thugs, they all pass out.

The disgusting pig from earlier grabs my ankles and pulls me down as I fall onto the concrete, my head getting hit hard from the impact. I turn around onto my back to get up, but then this guy is pinning my arms down and straddling me with his body. So frickin' nasty! I see the leader walk towards us still holding the pipe, ready to give me a beating. I squirm and try to get up, but then the big guy pins my legs down so I can't kick anyone. Their leader lifts the pipe up over his head and I stare at him with an angry flame in my eyes, not willing to let them get away with this.

The leader swings down, but then he gets knocked down with a strong gust of wind and the other two pinning me are pushed off with a stream of water. I get up and see my friends running out of the shadows to join me as I'm happy to see them, but the moment is ruined by the three remaining Purple Dragons. I look to my friends and smirk at them, already having a plan up our sleeves. When they charge, the three of us use our bending powers together and hit them with one attack, combining our elemental abilities: water, air, and earth. It knocks them out cold. As we hear the police sirens heading our way, my friends and I jump the fire escape and climb to the roof so we won't be seen.

We watch the police arrest them as the Dragons tell them about us attacking, and obviously the police didn't believe a damn word they said thinking that they are lying to get out of it. Once the cars are gone we walk off on the roof to get as far away as we can. About a couple of minutes later I stop and look at one of them as she stares at me closely with her dark blue eyes. Obviously she isn't at all too pleased with what happened back there.

"Dear Gods, Sovi, what were you thinking when you fought them alone?" My friend, Palms, said with her light British accent.

I smirk, "Well for one they were stealing from an innocent person's shop, and two: I wasn't alone."

My other friend, Kea, raises an eyebrow, "You knew we come." She said in her light Australian accent.

"Of course I knew." I tell both of them and look out to the city.

"Sovi," Palms starts and walks to me, "I know that you want to keep the city safe and all and there's nothing wrong with that, but there is something much greater at work here then just Purple Dragon attacks. I can feel it in the air."

"As I sense it in the earth and Kea in the waters." I said to her knowing where this is going.

"What do you suppose all of this means?" Kea asks looking at me with a questioning look in her eyes. "And don't say nothing because whatever is going on it's getting stronger each passing day."

I sigh and face the ground, "I can honestly say I don't know," Then I look at both of them, "but whatever the threat is and when it does strike we'll be there to take it on."

"Perhaps we do not need to do this on our own. I mean after all we have our good friend to help us in this time." Palms reminds us of our new friend that we met several months ago, the Yin Warrior.

"True." I agree as I stare at the city with them, "However, until she knows what exactly is going on and give us more info to go on, we need to be ready for anything that will come after us."

"Right," Kea said and rubs my shoulder with a small smile, "But for right now let's all go home."

"I'm down with that." I laugh lightly for a moment and walk with my friends back to our homes.

These two girls aren't just my friends, they are like sisters to me that I would protect no matter what. We once thought we were the only benders from Kennistar living on Earth that is until we met the Yin Warrior, Verena Ishtar. When we first saw her we couldn't believe that the princess was living here on Earth of all places, but I guess I can't judge her decision. Even after what she told us about the man she has been seeing now, and apparently he is a very great loving guy. She's a lucky lady. Now with Princess Verena with us we can try to figure out what exactly is happening in New York, and hopefully before it's too late.

After my friends make it inside their apartment building safely I run to my apartment building that's only a few more buildings away on the same street. I open the window and climb into my living room, turning on a lamp on the coffee table so I can see where I'm going. Seeing the time and realizing how late it got, I turn off the lamp, go to my room, and change into my pajamas calling it a night. As soon as I finish brushing my teeth I push the covers on my bed, climb in to lie down, and pull them over my body touching my shoulders feeling so comfortable and warm. I close my eyes, letting sleep take me.

**Well, what do you think? I know it's a little short for my first chapter, but I didn't want to overdo it on this one. Of course, you are my judges. I want to point out that the names of the girls introduced are the nicknames that they give each other from their last names, which are on my profile if you want to know who they are so check it out. The next chapter will have the Turtles and Verena in it so don't worry. Please R&R, PM, and all that good stuff. Thank you guys, and until next time:).**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello hello hello! Okay, so I know that my first chapter to the story was short and maybe a little boring, but I think this next chapter will make up for it. Now that you got an idea of the three girls and how they are, it's time that I bring in some familiar faces back into the story. So let's get right into it, shall we? As always I do not TMNT, only my OCs. Enjoy:)**

Chapter 2: Threats Rise Again

Verena's P.O.V.:

It has been a year since the Dark Benders and the Foot was defeated, and my life could not be any better. Earth has definitely been very good to me in my year of staying here and being away from my other family back on Kennistar. My other family, the Hamatos, have all been terrific and very fun to be with, they have all become very dear and near to my heart each time we do something together. Whether it's going on patrols, having adventures here and there, or just enjoying each other's company in the Lair having family time together; those are the times that I like the most. I love spending time with each of them and with each one we do different things. With Master Splinter we spend our time meditating and watching his favorite soap operas on TV, and he got me into those a while ago; he's like my grandfather in so many ways that makes me feel more comfortable. Raph makes a great sparring partner for me and we train and exercise together most of the time which is good for his temper so he can blow off some steam. Donnie has me help him out with some of his inventions that he's working on, and I show him more of Kennistar's technology that he has been researching since I got him those books and tools. Mikey is very laid back and at times energetic when we do anything together, like when we play videogames, watch movies, or if he pulls pranks on everyone else; he keeps me on my toes. As for Leo, well I can honestly say I love spending time with him the most and when we do the two of us are either training, talking, or my personal favorite cuddling in each other's arms. Our relationship has become stronger with each passing day and the love we have continues to grow, and Leo and I could not be any happier being this close. Leo is like the missing puzzle piece that I've been waiting for, and love him with all of my heart.

Anyway, it is a quiet morning in the Lair and I am starting to wake up from another good night sleep when I feel the other side of my bed open and empty. I stretch out my arm and open my eyes to see that Leo isn't in bed with me, realizing that he must have gotten up early again… as usual. I turn over to my side and see a small bouquet of white roses on my nightstand right next to the lamp, and I already know who put them there. Leo has been leaving me a small bouquet of flowers every week for the past several months now, and to be honest I think it's so sweet and charming of him to do something nice for me. I take the flowers in my hand and inhale the fresh aroma as I continue to wake up, stretching out my body within the covers. A moment later I get out of bed, put the flowers on my pillow after making the bed, and walk out of the room to see the others. No one else seems to be up yet and I begin to wonder where my Leo is since he's up before everyone else. As I walk further to go into the kitchen I see the doors to Master Splinter's room closed and the lights on, Leo must be in there talking to him so I walk away to start on breakfast.

Leo's P.O.V.:

I'm inside Master Splinter's room waiting to get through to Kennistar to talk to Verena's parents about something very important, something that I've been waiting to ask them for a few months now but never got to chance to 'til now. Today is the day I ask Mr. and Mrs. Ishtar's permission for me to propose to their daughter. I wanted Master Splinter to be with me for support because I am very nervous and worried that her parents will say no, but my father tells me not to doubt myself especially when it comes to my love for Verena. What man doesn't get freaked out over this? Asking your girlfriend's parents for permission has to be the most nerve-wracking thing ever to happen to anyone. I don't know what's worse, dealing with her parents or fighting a bunch of Foot Ninjas by myself. Either way I have to do this, for our sake and if I want to move my relationship with Verena a step further. She means the world to me and I don't want to lose her. I love her.

The communicator blinks for a few seconds and the image of Mr. and Mrs. Ishtar appears as they are smiling at me and holding each other close. Seeing them makes my blood go cold and my palms start to sweat uncontrollably, the nerves hitting me like a ton of bricks. I just need to stay calm and get through this okay.

"Leonardo! Master Splinter! It is good to see you two again." Mr. Ishtar says waving at us.

"The honor is ours, Your Majesties." Master Splinter said as we bow to them through the communicator.

"You sounded like you had something important to tell us Leonardo, what can we help you with?" Mrs. Ishtar asks being as sweet and professional as possible.

I take a deep breath, swallowing the giant lump in my throat, and talk, "Mr. and Mrs. Ishtar… I have something very big to ask you both, but before I ask you I need to tell you something about me and Verena. We have been together for a while now, and I couldn't be any happier than spending my life with her every day since she's been here with us. Verena is so beautiful, strong, intelligent, sweet, and a very loving soul that I cannot just get enough of. When we're together all we do is make each other smile and laugh, trying to make the other happy all the time and to never go to bed angry or upset. We talk to each other about everything in our lives and we are very supportive in our decisions. My life without Verena would be… empty." I have to say it now before I choke, "So, what I want to ask you both as her parents is for you blessing and permission for me to propose to your daughter to be my wife. Will you allow me to ask for Verena's hand in marriage?" I ask sounding calm and slightly confident.

Mr. and Mrs. Ishtar stare at each other in complete shock in what I just ask them, not saying a single word to one another. I'm starting to feel sweat run down my forehead and my hands shake from the silence as I want them to say something. Master Splinter places a hand on my shoulder to help me relax, but if anything else I grew tense from the touch. We see them whisper to each other's ears for a couple of minutes, and they look at me with a serious look on their faces. This is it.

"Leonardo," Mr. Ishtar starts the conversation with me, "after talking it over with my wife, we have both come to an agreement for your request." He pauses for a moment and smiles at me, "You absolutely have our permission and more importantly our blessing to ask for Verena's hand."

I widen my eyes and smile big, "Are you serious?"

Mrs. Ishtar nods and giggles, "Of course we are serious. We are more than happy for you two and it would be wonderful for you to propose to her. You have proven to all of us that you are more than worthy of Verena's love and we support you one hundred percent with your proposal."

I breathe heavily still in shock, "I-I… you don't know how much this means to me… thank you so much, Your Majesties." I bow to them.

"You are most welcome, Leonardo." Mr. Ishtar said happily.

"Good luck, Leonardo, and tell Verena we said hello and we miss her." Mrs. Ishtar said.

"I will and thank you again. Bye." With that said the link goes off, leaving me and Master Splinter alone in the room. "Well, that takes care of that."

"I am so proud of you, my son." Father said rubbing my shoulder and walking us to the door, "How do you plan on asking Verena for her hand?"

"It's going to be a big surprise." That is all I tell him and we walk out of the room.

We walk into the kitchen and see my brothers at the table eating their breakfast and talking with each other saying good morning to us. I see Verena making herself a plate as I come up behind her and sneak a kiss on her cheek with her saying good morning to me and sensei and taking her place at the table with us. Throughout breakfast I hold Verena's hand on my lap tightly, rubbing it with my fingers every now and then as I see her smile and kiss my cheek a few times making my body feel lighter than air. To think in a few days I will finally ask the woman I love for her hand in marriage.

In The Evening…

Verena's P.O.V.:

The guys and I do our evening training with Master Splinter before we go off on our patrol for a couple of hours and now we are doing our meditation session. I let all of my thoughts wonder as I let my spirit relax and be free with no stress or problems just like I normally do. Into my next breath I feel a heavy cloud over my head and my mind see nothing but black fog, worrying me. My vision starts to clear and the next thing I see is so terrifying and unbelievable. There is a Dark Bender army charging into New York as two of them are holding my three new friends hostage as the army attacks and kills every human insight. The air is thick with ash and heavy rain covers the sky threatening to flood the city, dead bodies everywhere and covering every inch of the streets, and a giant being with four arms and red eyes howling in laughter. My three friends struggle to get free from their bonds and are scared for their lives as two Dark Benders come closer to them with daggers in their hands. Next thing I know my three friends are stabbed to death and thrown into their streets with the other corpses, their powers being drained from their bodies into the four-armed being. The monster uses its powers and burns the city to ashes until there is nothing left and I scream from the horror.

I shoot open my eyes and lie down on the floor burying my face into it and crying from what I just saw. It was nothing that I haven't felt in a long time and I feel my whole body shake in terror. The guys come up to me and I feel Leo pull me into his arms trying to calm me down as he rubs my back in a soothing pattern. I look up at the guys with tears still streaming down my face as they stare at me with a worried look in their eyes.

"Verena, what did you see?" Master Splinter asks gently.

I wipe my tears away and take a deep breath, "I-I… I saw a creature attacking the city, destroying everything into fire and ash. Everyone was dead, the air was thick from the smell of ash and rotting flesh, and my friends were killed by Dark Benders." I tell him hugging Leo tightly.

"Your friends? Ya talkin' about us?" Raph asks confused.

I shake my head, "No. My other friends that I met a while ago."

"You mean the ones from Kennistar?" Mikey asks.

"Yes." I answer and stand up slowly, "I need to talk to my grandfather right now, ask him what this all means." I said and leave the dojo to contact my family immediately with the others behind me.

Ten Minutes Later…

"I cannot believe the visions are happening again." Grandfather says through the communicator rubbing his chin.

"Neither can I Grandfather." I said after I explained what I saw, "What does this mean."

He looks at me seriously, "It means that your friends are in terrible danger, their lives are threatened, and now they will be hunted down by the Dark Benders for their powers. Verena, you must find them and protect them from those scums."

"Right…" Then I thought of something shocking that I didn't realize, "I have to warn them! They could be out there right now!"

"Do what you must and I will tell your parents the situation. Contact us as soon as you have them with you." Grandfather says and gives me a small smile.

I nod, "I understand, Grandfather." I said and the link goes off. I reach into my pocket and take out my Shell Cell.

"What are you doing?" Mikey asks.

I look at them dialing a number, "Calling them." I put the phone to my ear and hear it ring three times.

"_Hello?"_

"Listen to me carefully; you need to find me now." I tell my friend.

"_Wait a minute! Verena, what's going on?"_

"My friend, I need you to get the others and meet me on the roofs near the docks." I rub my eyes and sigh, "The threat that you all have been asking me about is coming, and they set their sights on you three."

"_What? Are you saying they're coming after us?"_

"Yes. You are being hunted by the Dark Benders."

I hear her sigh loudly, _"When do you want us there?"_

"Now, and hurry." I said.

"_Copy that, we'll be on our way."_ She hangs up.

I put away my phone and look at the guys, "We need to leave."

"Where to Verena?" Leo asks me worried."

"To the docks while there's still time." I said and we leave the room.

I know that the guys are confused about my friends and I don't blame them one bit. When I told them I made new friends on the surface I said they were from Kennistar, but I didn't necessarily tell them everything like for instance how they're all female benders. I wanted to but they told me to keep them a secret for their protection. So that's why I kept my mouth shut. We leave out into the sewers and rush out into Central Park in a hurry. I pray to La Shien that we find them before the Dark Benders do.

**So, what do you think? I'm happy I got another chapter in with a short amount of time working on it. As usual you're my judges. Thank you to you guys who have so far favorite and followed my story, I really appreciate it! I don't know when my next update will be, but I am hoping sometime soon so I ask you all for your patience. Please R&R, PM, and all that great stuff I like. Until next time:)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello hello hello! Here is another chapter up and it's kind of a long one so bear with it. This one has the Turtles finally meeting the girls in the weirdest way I can think of, well maybe not weird but unexpected I guess is the right word for it. Anyway, like always I do not own TMNT. Enjoy:)**

Chapter 3: Meeting the Benders

Verena's P.O.V.:

The guys and I run like crazy over the rooftops so we can get to the docks as soon as possible to find my friends. I know I basically scared my friend over the phone, but desperate times do call for desperate measure and this case is no different. Their lives are in danger and we need to keep them safe from the Dark Benders, away from harm or worse. Since getting to know these girls I have bonded with all three of them very well, almost like we are long-lost sisters and we were meant to find each other for a purpose. The question would be what purpose? And will we prevent this evil from rising?

We stop at one of the buildings near the docks as we catch our breaths from all the running, and I look around to see if I can spot my friends. I don't see them. I look frantically all over again, moving my body all around just in case I miss a spot, but they are not here. I hold out my palm so I can feel their energy to see if they are nearby, and I cannot sense them near us. This is not good.

"They aren't here." I tell the guys as I begin to worry, "Something is not right. The air seems so dark and cold…," And I come to the conclusion, "Dark Benders."

"Do you think they found your friends?" Donnie asks with the same worry.

"I am not sure." I said honestly and look out to the city having an idea pop up in my head, "Give a moment." I reach my palm to face the city, focusing on anything out of the ordinary atmosphere and I feel three familiar energy signatures. I look at the guys, "The good news is that they aren't too far away."

"And what's the bad news?" Raph asks holding onto his sais.

"The bad news is all three of them are scattered around the city, separated from each other. My guess is that they didn't want to cause too much attention with the Dark Benders." I explain the best I can and face Leo, "I suggest we all split up. It would give us a better chance in finding them, and then bring them back here."

He nods, "Alright. Guys, follow Verena on this one since she knows more about these people."

All of them agree and I fly up a few feet looking down, "Okay, Mikey you take the south, Donnie take the north, Raph you go to the west, and Leo will head east. I will search for them in the sky." I look at each one closely, "Remember guys, these are not ordinary benders. They will most likely attack you so you need to be ready, and if the Dark Benders by some chance have set up traps just avoid them. Now let's go before something else happens to them."

The guys run off in the directions I gave them as I fly above the city to find my friends. Dear Gods, I hope we find them.

Mikey's P.O.V.:

Talk about having a crazy night, first V has one of her scary visions and now we have to go on a manhunt for her friends that we know very little about. I mean we don't even know what they look like. What if they're like these giant muscle guys that want to rip us to pieces? Or if they have a very short temper and probably hurt us when we see them? How do we deal with them?! It's weird I am asking myself all these different questions when I should of ask V before we left. If there is one thing V taught us is to always see everything with an open mind and to never question a person before you get to know them. Maybe her advice can help me out… I hope.

I get to an apartment building not far away from the docks and I start to feel funny, and I don't mean 'haha' funny either I mean 'funny' funny. Almost like I'm not alone. I then hear a strange sound coming from the other building, like a loud grunting sound. The voice doesn't sound like a guy's, no, it sounds more like a girl's voice. I jump over to the building and pull out one of my nunchucks as I hug the wall so I can't be seen. Very carefully I take a peak and what I see is something I was not expecting. The person making all those noises is a girl, chained by her wrists and ankles to a small silver pipe and the cuffs had weird black markings on them. I move my eyes up and stare at her in complete awe, this girl is so… pretty. She has this hair… and these eyes… and her outfit… holly shell she's perfect like an angel. I begin to get all warm and tingly everywhere especially in my chest, and I don't want to blink fearing she would disappear and I never see her again. Before I know it I take a couple of steps towards her and I freeze in my spot as her eyes immediately face me. Oh shell, I'm such a bonehead!

The girl gasps and her jaw drops, she looks scared, "W-W-Who are you?" Even her accent voice is pretty.

I put my weapon away and put my hands up, "Easy, I'm not gonna hurt you." I walk to her and she steps back, "I'm a friend."

She tilts her head to the right and gives me a confused look, "A friend?"

I stop as I am right in front of her, "Yeah." I smile at her, "And in case you're wondering, I'm not human." I look down and wait for her to scream at me like everyone else does.

"I had a feeling you weren't human," She says and I face her, her small smile making me happy, "And to be fair I'm not human either."

It was my turn to be in shock, "You're not human?"

She shakes her head, "No, I'm not. You see I was born on a planet far away from here called Kennistar."

When she said that I gasp, "Kennistar?! Does that mean you know Verena?"

The girl's eyes widen, "Verena Ishtar? Yes. I'm one her- wait a second! How do you know her?"

"She's a friend of mine, and we're out here looking for her friends before the Dark Benders do." I explain.

"Well you came to the right place, because I am one of them you're looking for." She said holding her hands up and showing me the cuffs.

I take her hands into mine to look at the cuffs, "Did those dudes do this to you?"

"Yeah, it's one of their traps that I unfortunately got myself into. The only way to break them is to hit the cuffs with something hard." She said.

I look around and spot a giant rock on the far corner of the building. _"Maybe that could work."_ I go over and grab it, holding up the cuffs with one hand and staring at her, "I don't know if this will work, but I'll get you out."

"I trust you." She said sweetly and smiled.

I nod and smash the rock onto the cuffs, the metal shattering to pieces to the ground and I do the same to her ankle cuffs. The girl jumps up and down in joy and rams into me for a tight hug, her arms circling around my neck perfectly. Her laugh is like music to my ears and her hug feels so warm as I hug her back with the same tightness. I wish it could last longer, but she lets go and stands up straight smiling at me.

"I cannot thank you enough, my friend." She said rolling her shoulders back.

"No problem dude- I mean…," I rub the back of my head in embarrassment, "Sorry, I never caught your name."

"Oh! How rude of me! Here I am talking on like a lunatic and I never introduced myself." She said and holds out her hand to me, "My name is Layla Kealoha."

I take her hand and shake it, "I'm Michelangelo, but you can call me Mikey if you want to."

"Well Mikey I'm glad to have met you." Layla said and puts her hand down to her side.

"I'm glad to meet you too Layla." I tell her and remember V's plan, "We should get going before those creeps come back here."

"I agree with you, Mikey. Lead the way." Layla said and we run off back to the docks.

Donnie's P.O.V.:

The air feels cold and crisp on my suddenly warm skin as I run and jump on the rooftops searching for Verena's Kennistarian friends. We failed, however, to ask her what her friends look like and if they are male or female; talk about not thinking. To be quite honest trying to find these benders is like trying to find a few needles in a giant haystack. It's going to take a miracle to find at least one of them in the city as big as New York. The only good thing about living here long enough is knowing where everything is and when something is out of place. As a ninja we are trained to be aware of our surroundings and to know every single tiny detail, everywhere and at all times no matter how much has changed. And me, being a turtle of science, I have learned a lot in the past year about Verena's people and their amazing technology from over the centuries so now I know what to do when the Dark Benders come at us. I'll be ready to show them what I can do.

I jump on an old warehouse building and hide behind a shack in the shadows, feeling a new presence in the atmosphere. There is a light groaning a couple of feet away from me and the sound of metal rubbing against the concrete, someone is here and it seems like they're in pain. I pull out my bo staff and hold it close to my chest, breathing slowly and focusing. As I take a slow step further the voice goes silent, having me tense up and tighten my grip. I close my eyes and concentrate my mind into this situation at the moment, I'm not afraid to attack whoever is there especially if it's the Dark Benders. With a deep breath I jump out of the shadows to the persons location and get into a fighting stance, staring the person down. What I fail to realize is the actual person there in front of me, looking at me with beautiful sapphire eyes.

Right in front of me is the most gorgeous girl I've ever seen in my life, she is an angel that has fallen from Heaven. Her skin is a beautiful tan color, her hair is a deep crimson, and those eyes are like deep sapphire blue pools you can get lost in. This woman is a breathtaking sight that would make any man fall to their knees to worship a beautiful angel like her. I walk over to her and hold my bo staff out to the side, not wanting to scare her more than she already is. A few steps away she immediately takes her spear from the ground and points it at me, showing no fear in her eyes as I wave my hands out to her.

I kneel down and set my staff on the ground, "Don't be afraid." I gently said to her starring into her eyes, "I mean you no harm."

The young woman stares at me with a serious look, absorbing my words into her mind to see if I'm telling the truth or not. I am starting to believe she will not listen to reason, but then the look in her eyes softens. She lowers her spear and just looks at me while breathing deeply.

I take a look at her legs and see these heavy cuffs on her ankles digging into her skin, and I can tell it's making her uncomfortable, "Let me help you out of those." I grab my staff and she puts her hand on top of mine.

"These cuffs cannot be broken by brute force, stranger." She tells me in a light British accent, her voice sweet and soothing, "You would need to use electricity to set me free from these restrains."

"Why electricity?" I ask her.

"As an air-bender that is my greatest weakness, and these cuffs are in enchanted to withhold my magic. If you can break them with enough electricity then I can be free."

I look at her with a surprised expression, "You're an air-bender?"

She nods and raises an eyebrow, "Yes… I am. How do you know about my people?"

"I promise I'll tell you once I get you out of these heavy things." I look around and see a satellite dish with wires sticking out of the panel, "Hold on a second." I go over and grab the wires and bring them back to the cuffs. Once I see a spark ignite in between them I light up the cuffs and they shatter to pieces after a minute.

She rubs her ankles to ease the pain she has and looks at me, "Thank you, stranger."

"You're welcome." I said as I stand up and reach my hand out to her, "Here, let me help you up."

The woman looks nervous as she stares at my three-fingered hand, probably still not trusting me.

"It's alright." I reassure her.

She tucks her hair behind her ear using her hand and starts to show me a small smile as I see her pearly white teeth. I smile at her to make her feel better, and I think it is working. The woman slowly takes my hand and I lift her up carefully from the ground until she is standing up straight. As we're still holding hands a soft breeze circles around us with some leaves dancing along, making this moment so unreal like a dream. When it leaves we stare at each other in complete awe and let go of our hands, rubbing our necks in an awkward silence.

"What is your name?" I ask her gently.

She smiles and chuckles low, "I am Sasha Palmer, an air-bender from the planet Kennistar. And who are you supposed to be my reptilian friend?"

"Donatello, or Don, Donnie, whichever you prefer." I introduce myself and extend my hand to her like a gentleman.

"Please to meet you, Donatello." She said and shakes my hand.

"And you too, Sasha." I tell her happily and put my hand on my side.

"So, Donatello," Sasha starts as she grabs her spear off the ground, "you seem to know about my kind, and I just cannot help but wonder how it is you know about me?"

"Well you see my friend is from Kennistar, and actually the best part of it is she's the princess."

Sasha gasps, "The princess? You are friends with Verena Ishtar?"

"Yeah, for a while now. How do you know her?"

"I am a friend of hers as well, and in fact I am supposed to be meeting Verena along with my other friends."

"So you're the one I have been looking for. Verena asks my brothers and I to help find you three and to bring you back to the docks." I tell her.

"Excellent. Then let us be off and hope that your brothers have found the others." Sasha says and we run off back to where I started.

Raph's P.O.V.:

This has got ta be one of the weirdest nights of my life. Searchin' for some random benders we don't even know about in New York is not how to start off patrol, and to make it worse we have no idea what these guys look like. How do we know when we found them? Do we take a guess, cross our fingers, and hope for the best? I have no clue. I'm just saying that all of these would go so smoothly if we had something else to go by and not just one of Verena's horrifying visions. Maybe I'm just being an idiot, maybe I'm too hard on her. Doesn't mean I can't be too overprotective of our family now with new people in the picture, especially after what happened last year. All I want is for our family ta be safe, and if it means protectin' these strangers then I'll go along with it… for now.

I get ta this one rundown apartment building and all of a sudden a loud bang goes off from behind me and I see nothin' but darkness. When I wake up a minute later I feel my wrists and ankles pinned to the wall of the emergency exit and I try to pull myself off, but with no luck not even a slight tug. This is just great. Now how am I supposed ta find these guys stuck here like a stuffed animal on the wall? If I wasn't ticked off before I am now.

Then I start ta hear laughing from in front of me, almost mocking me and making me really mad. A second later six ugly Dark Benders jump on the roof with their leader in front and smirking at me as they walk over. If I wasn't stuck here I would wipe that frickin' smirk off of his pale face.

The leader stands right in my face, "Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise. We come here to catch an earth-bender and instead we catch one of the terrapins." He chuckles to his bozos and still has a smirk.

I growl, "What, ya afraid I can kick your sorry butt, Ugly?"

"Not even, my tempered friend. In fact, I know someone that will be dying to see you again." He says and was about ta say something else when a beeping sound goes off on his arm, "Excuse me." He presses a button on his wrist, "Yes, what is it?"

"_Sir, we have the earth-bender in sight."_ A voice says to him on the other line.

"What? Where?" The leader questions.

"_Sh- No! Stay away! AAHHHHH!" _The guys screams and the line goes dead.

"What's happening?! Come in! Answer me!" The leader shouts and looks freaked out.

Just as the others stare at him a rock spear goes through one of them in the very back and he goes down to the ground shocking the rest. All of a sudden a person falls from the sky and lands hard on the roof with the Dark Benders starring at it with their weapons drawn. The person lifts itself up and my eyes widen at it-her. This person is a-a girl, and a very good-lookin' girl to be honest. She has this pretty orange hair, green eyes, and a killer figure like she works out all the time. Anyway, this girl smirks at the Dark Benders and takes out one of her butterfly swords.

"You boys looking for me?" She asks them in a smart-aleck tone that makes me smirk.

The leader steps out, "Lower your weapon, girl, or the reptile gets it!" He yells and points at me.

The girl looks at me and her eyes widen, "Whoa." She shifts her eyes back to the leader, "I suggest you let him go before I make you regret messing with me."

"My, such big talk from a scrawny thing like yourself, my dear. You underestimate our abilities." The leader says and the Dark Benders get closer to her.

She looks at each of them and back at us with a smile, "Okay… how about this, I'm going to count to three and when I get there you better have set him free."

"Oh please, you are such a-" One of them speaks and gets knocked out by a giant rock ta the head and the others jump.

"One." She says keepin' her cool.

"If that's supposed to scare us then think again!" The leader said with fear in his voice.

Another one is stabbed by a rock spear to the chest, thrown by the fiery red-head herself.

"Two." She narrows her eyes and looks irritated, "Do you think I'm playing? Huh? Do you?!"

The Dark Benders look to their weasel leader and he gulps deeply, "Don't just let this whore make you weak, get her!" He yells and they all charge at her.

"Three." I hear her say under her breath and backflips in the air behind them.

There are only three of them left, including the leader that are taking on this one girl and I'm force ta watch from the sidelines. A skinny one jabs at her with his fists missing each time as she dodges them perfectly, shell this guy even tries to kick her but with no luck to match her speed. She punches the crap outta him several times in the chest and face and slashes at his stomach with her butterfly sword, and he goes down scratching the concrete roof with his fingernails and gaspin' for air. The second one is bigger in muscle and has a longsword in his hands as he tries to sweep her off her feet, and for a moment he does and hits her with a black dart across her arm and I hear her hiss in pain. Now these guys are really makin' me angry! Just as he's about to slay her she blocks his sword and rolls to her side, jumping to her feet and disarms him like it was nothing. With a flick of her wrist she slices his cheek and uppercuts him in the chin, sending him flat on his back. Finally it's just her and the leader with a dagger as small as a toothpick ta go against her butterfly sword. I'm bettin' my money on the girl, if I had any. Suddenly, she puts her sword away and grins at him, motioning her hands for him to come at her and I start ta think this girl's nuts. The leader runs at her like a man hell-bent on one goal, and she's his target. She lifts her arms up and giant rocks surround her from the dagger as it penetrates the stone getting stuck in, and she throws the rocks at him causin' him to fly off the building to God-knows where until he's nowhere in sight.

The girl defeated several Dark Benders all by herself. Her skills are amazin' and she even looks good fighting too. I see her take a deep breath and turns to face me, laughing softly to herself as she walks towards me. I feel my body get tense as her eyes examine me like I was an animal in a zoo. Damn, I really wish I wasn't pinned ta the wall. I must look like an idiot in front of this girl.

"Easy there, Red, I haven't forgotten about you." She said sounding like she's mocking me.

I quickly get annoyed, "I get it, the red bandana. You're so funny."

"Hey, no need to get snappy with me, Big Guy. If you want I'll just leave your sorry shell up there to look at the stars." She said and turns to her right side like she's ready ta leave.

"Don't ya dare leave me stuck up here." I said in an angry tone.

She shrugs her shoulders innocently, "I am not going to cut you loose with that attitude, Red."

"Attitude?! Hey, you're the one callin' me names!"

"Relax." She says motioning her hands for me ta calm down, "I'll tell you what, if you promise to calm yourself then I will get you down from those cuffs. Deal?" She asks raising an eyebrow and half smiling.

I sigh and shake my head, "Deal. Now get me down, Sweetheart."

Her eyebrows rise and she looks at me in surprise, "Oh, you are nice. And I thought all this time I was going to be dealing with a jerk-off." She comes up and rubs the metal cuffs with her fingertips, almost lookin' for some sort of weakness. Then she nods and pulls out both of her butterfly swords, "Hold still."

"Like I gotta choice." I said as she shakes her head.

I shut my eyes and hear her grunt and the sound of metal rubbing against each other in a high pitch. The next thing I know I'm landing on my feet and feeling the weight of the cuffs off of my wrists and ankles. I stare at the broken cuffs and look up at the girl feelin' like a jerk.

"Uh… thanks for getting me down." I tell her being bashful.

"No problem. Tell me, what's your name, Red?" She asks still using that stupid nickname.

"Raph." I said and raise an eyebrow, "And you are?"

"Soviano. Cheryl Soviano." She says and extends her hand out for a handshake which I take into my own, "So, is Raph short for something?"

"Raphael."

"Ah, an Italian name. Very nice, and it suits you well."

"Thanks." I said as I let go of her hand.

"So, what brings you all the way out here on this fine evening?" Cheryl asks putting a hand on her hip.

"I'm actually out here lookin' for these benders that know Verena." I said and I remembered what the Dark Bender said about her and my eyes get bigger, "Wait, are you one of them that little weasel was talkin' about earlier?"

She nods, "Lucky for you I am, and I was beginning to wonder if Verena would be searching for us. My friends and I were almost to the docks, but then the Dark Benders showed up and attacked us. I told my friends to split up and stay out of sight until it was safe to go back, but I haven't heard anything from them since then." Cheryl sighs deeply and rubs her forehead.

"Hey, don't worry," I put my hand on her shoulder and she looks at me, "we'll find your friends. I promise."

"Raph! Cheryl!" A voice yells at us from the sky and we look up to see Verena flying down, with relief written all over her face. "Thanks the Gods Raph, I am so happy you found Cheryl."

"Yeah, we're fine." I tell Verena and wink at Cheryl, makin' her cover her mouth with her hand to hold in her laugh, "Ya hear anythin' about your other friends?"

"Yes. Donnie and Mikey found the girls and are on their way to the docks." Verena said.

"Oh Thank the Gods!" Cheryl said feelin' better.

"Come on. We need to hurry and get you three out of here before the Dark Benders come back." Verena said and the three of us run back ta meet the others.

Leo's P.O.V.:

Verena gave me a call a minute ago telling me my brothers found her friends and are on their way to meet me here at an abandoned building near the docks. While I'm waiting for everyone I pull out a piece of paper out of my belt and unwrap it, revealing a picture of a ring with a small diamond and two sapphires on the sides. This is the ring I want to give to Verena when I propose to her and with some help from April I will be able to show Verena how much I love her. I know looking at this ring it's small and not as fancy as others engagement rings, but hopefully she will like it just as much as I do. After all, it's the thought that counts, right?

I see Verena in the sky flying down and I quickly put the picture away without her noticing, and I also see my brothers with three women following them. Are they Verena's friends? Soon everyone is here together and unharmed.

"Leo," Verena calls me and I look at her, "these are my friends. The ones we are out here looking for."

I wave at them, "Nice to meet you three, but we're going to have to skip the intros until we get back to the Lair." I tell everyone and receive a nod.

Just as we start to leave a Dark Bender pops up with a golem that looks like it was made out of lava with the cracks of its face glowing red and orange.

"You freaks aren't going anywhere!" The Dark Bender yells at us as he pulls out his magma whip to prove a point, "My pet, attack! Destroy them!"

The golem roars and fire shoots out of his mouth, and we think fast and dodge the attack in time before we got fried. Verena and her friends charge at the golem while my brothers and I attack the Dark Bender, avoiding the whip as much as possible. As I come up to slice the whip the Dark Bender backflips and shoots fire from his hands, and I duck down making him miss and hit his golem as it whined in pain. Don and Raph are able to disarm him and break the whip, but the Dark Bender swiftly punches them in the chest and face and they fall down. Mikey and I give it a try and get thrown back by his heavy kicks as we hit a wall. I look over at the girls and see they are having a hard time as we are.

Verena's P.O.V.:

"We can't keep blocking it, Verena." Cheryl says tiredly and out of breath as her legs shake from defending herself and us from the golems punches with her earth-bending.

"If only we can break it down somehow." Layla said as she tries to extinguish the flame with her water-bending.

I look at the creatures body and see a weak spot on the arms and legs, "Maybe we can." I look to the girls, "Cheryl, Layla, dislocate its arms! Sasha, you and I will tear its legs apart!"

The girls nod and follow my orders. Sasha uses her air-bending with her spear and slices the right leg in one swift move as the wind acted as a butter knife slicing it. I use Timaeus and with the help of my light magic I stab the left leg first, and chop it off into tiny pieces then the golem fell down with no way to get away. Cheryl slices the left arm with her butterfly swords in only a few moves and the rock shatters. Finally Layla hooks the right arm with a hook-blade and uses the other one to dig it into the shoulder and pry it off, falling to the ground and breaking. I gaze at the girls and we focus all of our energy on the magma center of the creature, and in one blast the flame goes out and the golem melts away into nothing.

We see the guys try to fight the Dark Bender and they almost have him cornered until he pushes them away with his black magic and they hit the ground. I hear them groan and see them struggle to get up. The girls and I rush in to help them only to get hit as well with the black magic. The Dark Bender focuses his attack on Layla, who is slowly lifting herself up on her palms, and she looks at him in fear.

Cheryl is the first one up and sprints over, "Layla look out!" She uses her earth-bending to lift a giant rock up as a shield, but gets thrown back on her side despite saving Layla from the attack.

"Sovi!" Layla screams for her and sees Cheryl motionless.

It made the pit in my stomach burn and I get up and grab Timaeus. The Dark Bender didn't see me coming until a second later after I jabbed my sword into his chest making him bleed out. He stares at me with a blank face as I take out Timaeus, and the scum dies on his back. I put Timaeus away and check on the others as Leo comes up to me.

"Is everyone alright?" I ask him.

"Yeah, we're fine. So is your friend right there that took a heavy hit." Leo of course is talking about Cheryl who is getting up and we walk over.

"Cheryl, are you feeling alright?" I ask her in worry.

She nods, "Yeah, I'm good." Cheryl starts to walk and hisses in pain and grips her right side bending her knees.

"Cheryl, what's wrong?" Layla asks holding her steady.

She removes her hand off her side and we see blood, "Oh… great."

"You're wounded." Sasha says and checks her injury, "I can treat it, but I will need a first-aid kit."

"We have what you need back at the Lair." Donnie tells Sasha.

"Oh, no, we can't intrude into your home when Cheryl's like this. It just does not seem right." Sasha tells him and his brothers.

"Look Sasha, I know how you feel, but what other choice do you three have? Cheryl needs help and your homes are too far for her to handle. At the very least your best bet is to come with us." I explain to them and I see Sasha look at Cheryl and Layla for a moment.

"Fine." Cheryl answers for them and they agree.

I nod, "Alright. Raph, carry her back for her sake please?" I ask him since he's gotten along with her well so far.

"Sure." He goes up and carries her bridal style in his arms and we leave.

Twenty Minutes Later…

As soon as we got back to the Lair Sasha and Donnie cleaned and treated Cheryl's wound, and from they've told us it was not too bad. When they got out of Donnie's lab Cheryl was still shaking and she told me she hasn't eaten since around two in the afternoon, so Mikey was kind enough to make her some pizza which she gratefully took and ate. The girls even got the chance to meet Master Splinter for about ten minutes, and they were nervous about him at first until he started talking to them and making them more comfortable in his home; he turned in for the rest of the evening and gave the girls permission to come to the Lair whenever they liked, which was two minutes ago.

I get up, walk over to the girls, and look at the guys, "Well, since you don't know my friends that good allow me to introduce you four to them. The first one right here is Sasha Palmer, an air-bender and medic and the smartest of the three."

She bows her head slightly and gives a small smile, "Please to meet you."

"This one in the middle is Layla Kealoha, one of the most energetic water-benders you will ever meet."

She waves and smiles big, "Hello."

"And of course this last one right here is Cheryl Soviano, an earth-bender that will protect you no matter what."

She lifts her hand up and smiles, "Nice to meet you."

I walk back to the guys and look at the girls, "And I know each of you has met at least one of the brothers, but allow me to introduce them all." I start in the far corner and work my way down, "That one in the purple is Donatello, the orange one is Michelangelo, the tough guy in red is Raphael, and the leader in blue is Leonardo."

"Leonardo?!" The girls said at the same time in complete surprise.

"You mean the same Leonardo you've been telling us about?" Sasha asks first.

"The same Leonardo that is charming, strong, and handsome?" Layla asks next.

"And the same Leonardo that so happens to be your boyfriend?" Cheryl finishes it off.

I look and Leo and smile at him so he can relax, "Yes. This is him."

Cheryl looks at Leo with a comforting smile, "We've heard a lot about you, Leonardo. Now that we get to finally see you I can see why Verena goes on about you so much," She looks at me, "she picked a good one."

"Well Cheryl as much as we want to hear about them the question still remains as to why the Dark Benders were trying to kill us?" Sasha asks and everyone looks at me for answers.

I sigh and take a deep breath, "I believe the Dark Benders tend to use your powers to resurrect an ancient monster from the Underworld to destroy the world."

"But why them?" Mikey asks me as he stares at Layla in worry for her life.

"Because-"

"Because we're not ordinary benders." Cheryl cuts in and explains next, "We are the Guardians of our power, which means we are stronger than the normal bender."

"It is said that the Guardians are the descendants of the Gods and Goddesses of Kennistar." Sasha said.

"And as their descendants it's our duty to protect our given power in their name." Layla said and looks down at her knees.

I look at the guys, "These girls are the most important Guardians out of all the rest for they combine together and help one another to create life. If the Dark Benders were to take them and their powers all of life will be in danger of dying, and it may not even survive an attack. This is why I needed them here."

We stay silent. All of us are soaking in all of the information as the four of us tell the guys the best we can, but it does not seem to be helping the girls out at all. I can see it in their eyes, they're scared and worried. This is as I feared would happen tonight. My job now is to protect my friends and make sure no harm comes to them.

Leo takes my hand and I look at him, "Do the Dark Benders know where they live?"

I shake my head, "No. The only they know about them is their powers, nothing else especially their personal lives. I do suggest you three stay here for the night and I can take you back to your homes when you're ready to." I said staring at them.

My friends look at each other for a moment and talk in whispers so we can't hear. The guys and I hope and pray they will stay here with us for the night just until the hunt dies down.

Cheryl faces us and nods, "Okay. We will for tonight only and go back to our homes early in the morning. I mean, I have a business and the girls have class tomorrow."

Leo nods in agreement, "Very well. Verena, will they be alright in your room?"

"Of course. I was about to suggest that anyway." I said to him and have the girls follow me.

"We'll get them some blankets and pillows." Mikey said and Raph and Donnie follow him.

I open the door to my room and the four of us walk in. the girls sit on the bed together and look very sad, so I go up to them and hug them close.

"Do not be afraid. We will protect you three and get to the bottom of this." I say soothingly ease their worry.

The guys come in and lay the blankets on the bed and leave as they stare at the girls feeling bad for them.

"Call me if you three need anything, okay? I'll be in Leo's room for the night." I tell them and walk to the door, "Goodnight, my friends."

"Goodnight, Verena." They said and I walk off to Leo's room.

He is already in bed when I get in and shut the door behind me. I climb into bed and hug him tight, burying my head in his chest. I feel him wrap his arms around me and he kisses my head softly.

"Everything will be alright, Verena. I promise." He whispers in my ear and breathes deeply as I get lost in his heartbeat.

I lift my head up and look at him, "I love you so much, Leo."

He brings my lips to his and kisses me warmly for a few moments and I melt into his arms more, "I love you too, Verena." Leo gives me another kiss and rests his chin on my head, "Goodnight, Beautiful."

"Goodnight, my handsome turtle." I tell him and snuggle into his chest and let sleep take me.

**Whew! This one was long. So, what do you guys think? I would love to know what you thought about this long chapter, so as always you are my judges. I want to let you know ahead of time that I start college again in February so I do not know when my next update will be, but I can guarantee that I will do the best I can to have something posted soon. I want to thank all of you that have favored and followed my story so far, I really appreciate it. Please R&R, PM anytime you like. Until next time:).**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello hello hello! I AM SOOOO SORRY FOR BEING LATE! I had a major case of writer's block during this time and it was hard to come up with ideas for the characters to do. Not to mention college is taking a big chunk of my time. However, I think I finally got it down. So, with that said I present to you all another chapter. I do not own TMNT, only my OCs. Here we go:)**

Chapter 4: Friends Like Us

Sasha's P.O.V.:

I rub my eyes with my palms and yawn as I sit up in bed, looking around to see my friends and I are still in the Hamatos Lair. In all honesty I thought last night was some horrible nightmare, but seeing my friends and this place proves me wrong. The Dark Benders are hunting us for our powers, but for what reason I still do not know. All we heard from Verena is they want our powers to awaken some ancient beast from the Underworld, and to take over Earth until it is plunged into darkness and chaos. What bothers me is how are we going to handle this situation? Do we have to go into hiding or keep going on with our lives like nothing is happening? I rub my head in frustration and I am lost in my thoughts, not finding a simple solution to everything so far as I sigh deeply to myself. What are we going to do?

To my left I see both Cheryl and Layla begin to wake up as they yawn and stretch out their bodies under the blankets, almost hitting each other with their arms. They finally sit up and look around the room like I did earlier until they turn to face me, showing me their beautiful smiles.

"Good morning, Palms." Layla says and hugs me around my neck tightly.

I cannot help but laugh a little, "Good morning to you too, Kea. Did you sleep well?"

"For the most part. How about you Sovi?" Layla asks Cheryl.

Cheryl gets out of bed and stretches out, "Not too bad. I would have slept better if my body wasn't so damn sore."

"Oh, I'm sorry Sovi. I tell you what, maybe later on today I'll give you one of my famous massages you like so much." Layla tells her.

Cheryl smiles at her, "That actually sounds good." She looks at me next, "How about you Palms? Did you sleep okay?"

I nod and give a small smile, "I guess so." I look at my feet and sigh.

Layla hugs me tight and rocks me, "What's the matter Sasha?"

"Nothing darling, I am just thinking too much. That is all." I tell her and Cheryl.

"Sasha, I know you're worried and I am too, but we can't let it get to us. You know Verena will help us along with her friends, and we have each other to keep us up. There is nothing in this world that's going to scare us, as long as we stay together those Dark Benders won't break us."

"Cheryl's right Sasha. So please, let's get through this one day at a time together." Layla says getting off the bed.

I nod in agreement, "Right, together. Just like we always do."

"Now there's our fierce brainy Sasha we know and love." Layla hugs me again and kisses my cheek, "Come on girls, I think we should make our friends breakfast for letting us spend the night. What do you say?"

"I think that sounds like a great idea." Cheryl said as she and I make the bed.

Once we are done we leave the room and walk through the Lair, it is so quiet and dark as we keep going trying to be discrete as much as possible. The girls make their way to the kitchen as I fall behind and look at the lab door, wondering what else is inside that I did not get to see after patching up Cheryl last night. I walk over, open the door, and go inside switching the light on and I cannot help but let my jaw drop slightly as I stare at all of the equipment in awe. Some of the pieces of technology look very familiar to me as I recognize the Krytanium either on weapons or a communicator on the desk, and I can tell that the turtles have really done their research. It is most impressive. What really catches my eye is this tiny camera that looks like a turtle, and I can see the lens where the head is when I pick it up and hold it in my palm. I think it is adorable.

"Hello?" I hear a voice behind me say.

I jump and gasp loud as I turn around and see Donatello standing there looking confused, "Donatello! I am so sorry! I-I-I-"

"Whoa, take it easy. I'm not mad at you." He said gently as he walks over to me and smiles. "I see you found my Turtle Cam, pretty neat huh?"

I look at him in shock, "You built this?"

He nods and rubs the back of his head.

"My Gods, Donatello, this is amazing. Let me guess, you also made everything else in here, right?"

"Yeah, I did. I kind of like to build things, you know be creative." Donatello said and looks at the ground, "I know it sounds odd Ms. Palmer-"

"Oh no! Not at all. I think it is wonderful how you love all of this so much, and you should not have to feel so bashful about it. Embrace it just like how you make all of these wonderful devices." I smile at him and giggle as he stares at me, "And what is it with you all of a sudden calling me Ms. Palmer? You do not have to be so proper with me, Donatello, just call me Sasha."

Donnie's P.O.V.:

"Right, sorry Sasha." I tell her and smile more.

There is something about Sasha that makes me feel so calm, I don't know what it is but I kind of like it. I've only known her for less than twenty-four hours and I already like this woman, and the only women I have been comfortable around are April and Verena. Both of them are my close friends, my family, but Sasha is so… different. She gives off this very warm energy that I have never felt before, my heart is about to burst out of my chest and my palms feel sweaty. I can't believe I am getting nervous in front of her. But why?

I see Sasha's smile get smaller until it disappears and looks sad worrying me, "Are you alright, Sasha?"

She nods, but doesn't look at me, "Yes."

"Sasha…" I come up and place my hand on her shoulder getting her to make eye-contact with me, "if you ever need someone to talk to for anything, feel free to call me sometime. Even if it's just to say hi, we'll always be here for you girls."

She wraps her arms around my neck and hugs me, "And you and your family are always welcomed into our lives. That I can guarantee you, Donatello, and… thank you."

"You're welcome." It's all I can say as I hug her gently.

I meant every single word I told her. No matter how bad the situation with the Dark Benders gets we'll be there to help them in a heartbeat. These girls mean so much to Verena and if she loves them then my brothers and I will too. And who knows, maybe all of us will be like a big family. We pull away from each other and smile, and I think she feels a little bit better.

Sasha looks at a blueprint for my latest project that I've been working on for a week, "This looks very interesting, Donatello, but what does it do?"

I get excited to tell her what I am working on. As I explain everything about it, Sasha instantly gets it and is very happy for me and offers me help on the project anytime. I think this is the start of a great friendship.

Cheryl's P.O.V.:

I decide to take a look around the Lair since Layla kicked me out of the kitchen, wanting to do all of the cooking without any distractions. Control freak, she's just like me. Is that a bad thing? Anyway, this place is actually pretty neat and it gives off a very homey feel to it. No wonder Verena likes it here so much, I would too if I can live down here. The dojo is so big and all of the workout equipment is on one side of the room, weapons hanging on the walls, and meditation mats right in the center. As I walk further in admiring the weapons something catches my eyes, a large Krytanium dumbbell hanging over a bench. I go up to it and touch it, feeling the soft metal on my fingertips as I familiarize myself to it. I look at the sides of each weight and see writing on it, knowing where this dumbbell came from.

I gasp quietly, "Questo è stato forgiato dalla mia parente. (This was forged by my kin.)"

"Hey." I hear a voice from behind me and I turn my head to see Raph leaning against the door with his arms crossed over his chest, "What are ya doin'?"

"Just admiring your equipment here, Red. It's impressive." I say to him as I stand up and face him, "The dumbbell, where did you get it?"

"It was a gift from Verena a while back, and I've been usin' it ever since." He says as he walks to me. "Why do ya ask?"

"Because that dumbbell came from my kin... my tribe." I say as I start to think about the home that I've not seen since I was taken away from there.

"Oh." It's all he can say at the moment as he thinks for the right words to say, "Ya must really miss your home, huh?" He asks.

I chuckle a little from his question, "Honestly, I really haven't thought about it, but I know that someday I want to see where I came from. I do feel that New York is my home, it always has been and always will be. Nothing will change that."

Raph's P.O.V.:

I go up to her a few more steps and she immediately takes a small step back, turning ta her side as she hides her face with her hair. Man, Cheryl must be upset over last night. Who could blame her? She has spent so much of her life tryin' to protect her friends from these goons, and I can instantly tell that she doesn't like ta feel helpless. I know how she feels because I'm the same way. It's weird... it's almost like we were meant ta find each other as if fate decided ta pin us together. Well whatever it is I need ta keep an eye on her.

"Red?" I look at Cheryl and she gives me a confused look, "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just thinkin' about what's goin' on." I tell her.

"Same here. I got one friend that seems so calm about it which is odd, and the other one worrying so much that it's- ah!" She lets out a frustrated yell and goes over to the weight bench and sits down, lookin' down at the floor, "Our lives were good, and now... I don't know what to do."

I feel bad for her. Of the three of them, Cheryl has taken the responsibility ta look after them like their big sister, protectin' them from anythin' thrown their way. She puts their needs before hers, and it hits me that she's sort of like Leo how he is with us. Hopefully she isn't as annoyin' as him on some days.

I walk up ta her and put my hand on her shoulder, having her look at me, "Listen Cheryl, I know ya have all this ta deal with, but you're not alone. None of you are, okay? All of you have us ta help you just like we did with Verena not that long ago. We'll get through this together."

She stares at me for a moment and nods, standin' up and smiling, "Alright, I get your point. And it's comforting to know we have new friends like you guys to count on. Thanks Red."

"Again with the frickin' nickname." I shake my head hearin' that.

All Cheryl can do is laugh at my reaction, gettin' a kick outta it. This is going ta be one interestin' girl ta get to know.

Layla's P.O.V.:

As soon as I kicked Cheryl out of the kitchen I start to get all of the ingredients I needed to make breakfast out of the fridge and pantry. Maybe the girls are right, I am a control freak. I can't help it though becuase I like to cook without any interruptions unless it's with my family, but that's it. Finally getting everything together I decided to make eggs, bacon, and my famous banana-nut pancakes I love to cook for my parents every Sunday when I go over for breakfast. The best part about it that it's so easy to prepare, but the only difference to the pancake recipe is adding the sliced bananas and chopped nuts to the mix. Thinking about the batter I went ahead and begin making it, enjoying the silence in the kitchen. I don't know what it is about cooking, but I think it's so much fun to be creative with food like an artist painting a picture and it is a great way to try out new combinations together. I can honestly say that I love to cook. Just as I finish the pancake batter and start slicing bananas I hear someone coming into the kitchen, and that someone so happens to be Michelangelo himself.

"Good morning Mikey." I greet him with a big smile on my face.

"Hey Layla. What are you doing?" He asks as he walks over to me looking at the food.

"Oh nothing, just making breakfast." I said as the slice the last banana and put it into the batter.

"You didn't have to do that, Layla." Mikey said smiling at me.

I giggle from his sweet smile and put down the laddle, "I don't mind cooking for you all, and besides think of it as my way of saying thank you for helping us last night."

"Okay. At least let me help you out with the eggs and bacon while you do the pancakes." He says and starts cracking the eggs.

"_So much for doing it by myself."_ I thought, but I can't blame him and nod.

Mikey's P.O.V.:

The whole time we're cooking I could not help myself and stare at Layla for a few seconds before she noticed I was looking at her. She seems to have this very bright personality that I like to see, kind of how I am. Always trying to make people laugh and smile when they don't want to or if they feel sad. Not to mention that Layla is so nice, funny, and cute too. This girl really knows how to make anyone smile with her jokes and kind personality. As we finish the breakfast and served everyone's plates we look at each other and smile.

"It's nice to see you so calm after what happened to you guys last night." I tell her and instantly feel like a idiot for bringing it up. "Sorry I didn't mean to-"

She giggles at me, "It's okay Mikey, really. Sometimes the best you can do is try and stay calm, at least that's what I think. Worrying about it doesn't do any good, and on top of that you always feel on edge. I always try to remember to stay positive in any situation."

"That's good. More people should learn a thing or two from you, Layla."

"Well I am pretty smart." She says and flutters her eyelashes at me and I laugh. "Now I don't know about you but I'm getting hungry just looking at the food."

"Me too. I call the others." I said and go to the kitchen enterance, "Guys! Breakfast is ready!"

"My Gods, any louder Mikey?" Layla says and shakes her head.

Leo's P.O.V.:

I wake up before Verena and have been meditating on the mat waiting for her to get up. Yesterday was insane with her bad visions coming back to haunt her, and these new friends of hers that the Dark Benders want for their powers for whatever kind of evil this time. At least we know what to expect from those goons since the last time we tangled with their plans to destroy the world. Looks like our work is never done, which is fine with us because this time we'll be ready.

I open my eyes and stare at my bed to see Verena isn't awake yet and it is almost 5:30 in the morning. Standing up and stretching out my legs, I sit on the bed where she is and plant kisses on her cheek and forehead so she can wake up. I hear her moan lightly and turn onto her back, fluttering her eyes open and looking at me.

"Good morning, Beautiful." I whisper to her smiling.

"Good morning, my handsome turtle." She smiles at me and sits up on the bed, "How long have you been awake?"

"For half an hour, so I meditated for a while. How do you feel?" I ask her.

"Alright. I mean I'm still worried, but-"

"Verena, you have nothing to worry about. We'll figure this out together just like we always do. Okay?" I tell her and hug her close to me for reassurance.

Verena sighs and hugs me back, "Alright."

"Good." I kiss the top of her head and keep holding her in my arms as she relaxes.

We look into each others eyes and lean our heads close, ready to kiss until..., "Guys! Breakfast is ready!"

"_Thanks alot Mikey." _I think in my head and stare at Verena.

"Come on, we better go before he sends a search party for us." Verena says and gets up fixing her swaetpants and tank top, heading for the door.

I get up and pull her arm back to me and press my lips on her for a kiss. She giggles as I suck on her bottom lip and wrap my arms tightly around her waist until her body touches mine, making her wrap her arms around my neck. Unfortunately we had to pull away after a minute and walk out of my room to go into the kitchen.

Verena's P.O.V.:

Leo and I walk into the kitchen and see the plates full of food waiting for us on the table as everyone else walks in looking just as shocked as we are. I look to Layla and Mikey as they smile at us and grab their plates and sit at the table and the rest of us take our seats with Master Splinter at the head of the table as usual. The breakfast made my mouth water the entire time eating it, all of the food was so delicious. Of course we thanked Layla and Mikey for the breakfast and they just smiled. I swear I thought I saw a sparkle in their eyes, but maybe that's just me. When we finished our meal and the dishes all of us sit at the table and relax for a few minutes before I take the girls back up to the surface. It was silent for a while until finally someone broke the dreaded silence game.

"So what is it you girls do during the day?" Donnie asks starting the conversation.

"Well I run my own music store and dance studio." Cheryl says and takes a sip of her water.

"Music store?" Mikey said in surprise.

"And a dance studio?" Raph also said in surprise like Mikey.

"Yeah. One of the best in Manhattan thank you very much." She says and crosses her arms smirking.

"No offense Cheryl, but ya don't seem like the dancin' type." Raph returns a smirk back at her.

"You would be surprised at how well she can dance, Raphael. Cheryl here is a national champion." Sasha tells them and the brothers just stare at Cheryl.

"Oh stop..." Cheryl shakes her head from Sasha's bragging.

"In fact Cheryl even has her own dance team." Layla adds on.

"Will you both knock it off." Cheryl laughs and turns red. "At least my family doesn't own the most popular resteraunt in New York City, Layla."

Layla instantly stops and becomes silent.

"What resteraunt?" Leo asks curious about the statement.

"A very good place called The Aussie." Cheryl says and nudges Layla on her arm.

"Your parents own The Aussie?" Mikey asks Layla and she nods. "That's so cool. I hear that place has great food."

"Yeah, and we live up to our reputation pretty well to alot of people." Layla says and calms down.

"Is that what you go to NYU for? To be a chef?" Leo asks her.

She shakes her head, "Oh no! I already have a degree from culinary school, but I'm at NYU for my business degree so I can open my own catering comapny someday."

"That's so cool!" Mikey yells out and smiles at her.

"And what about you, Miss Palmer, what is it you do?" Master Splinter asks Sasha.

"Well I am a medical student at NYU." She says and smiles.

"So i take it you want to be doctor." Donnie already knows what she wants to be.

"Exactly. Just like my parents."

"And one of your parents happens to be a famous doctor." Cheryl says getting evryones attention, especially Donnies.

""Really? Who?" He asks both of them.

"Everyone knows him as Dr. S. Palmer." Cheryl says his name.

Donnie's eyes widen at the name, "Your father is _the_ Dr. Samuel Palmer?"

Sasha nods, "Guilty as charged."

"Guilty? Sasha, your father is the best doctor in the world." Donnie continues to praise her father with so much respect, "His work is just amazing."

"Oh... thank you. That is very kind of you to say about him." She smiles at him feeling proud of her father, "And my mother is a doctor for the children's hospital as well."

"Wow. That must be interesting to have both your parents working in the same field." Leo said.

"It is indeed. Which is why I want to be a doctor like them." Sasha says still having her smile.

Master Splinter excuses himself from the table to do his morning meditation and says bye to the girls and hopes to see them soon, leaving the eight of us together. Another ten minutes later all of us go into my room and I contact my family through the communicator, appearing to us with my father and grandfather together.

"Hello Father, Grandfather." I smile at them.

"Hello Pup. It is good to see you, but I wish it was under better circumstances." Father says and frowns slightly.

"So do I." I tell him and clear my throat, "May I present the three Guardians: Cheryl Soviano, Sasha Palmer, and Layla Kealoha." I adress each one of the girls to them.

"Your Majesty." They said in unison and bow.

"It is a pleasure to meet you young ladies. I have been given the information from Verena and my father, and I have come to a decision on the situation." Father clears his throat, "You three are to be under the watch of Verena and the Hamato clan for your protection until we know more about what the Dark Benders want."

"Your Majesty," Cheryl steps forward staring at him, "does this mean we have to go into hiding?"

My grandfather shakes his head, "No, you do not. However, we advise all three of you to take the necesarry percautions at all times. If the threat continues to grow into something worse then yes, but for right now you may stick with your normal routine."

"Yes Sire." Cheryl bows.

"Very good. Verena, keep reporting to us if these visions continue or not. They will be crucial to what is going on." Grandfather says.

"Of course." I agreed.

"I am sorry to cut this short, but we have a meeting to attend to soon. Remember, keep each other safe and be careful. For now farewell." Father says and the transmission ends.

I guess there's not much we can do but to just sit and wait for something to come up. Not exactly the solution I was hoping for, but it is still a solution none the less. Our main goal now is to protect the girls at all costs. I look at the girls and they seem to nod in agreement with what they heard and will follow my family's orders. The guys and I will stop at nothing until the threat is gone, that is clear to us. Let's just pray it will be soon.

I look at the time and see that the sun is about to rise, "Alright girls, I need to take you back."

They nod and grab their weapons ready to go. We walk to the enterance and all of us stop looking at each other.

"Here. I made you three a Shell Cell so that way you can call us." Donnie says and hands them the phones.

"Thank you, Donatello." Sasha says and gently smiles at him.

"And thank you all for helping us. We are grateful for friends like you." Cheryl said.

"You don't have to thank us, it's what we do." Leo says proudly and smiles.

She nods, "Let's go girls."

"We'll see you guys soon." Layla says cheerfully and waves, "Bye."

"Bye." The four brothers said and wave as I take the girls home.

We are all very blessed to have such great friends like each other to lean on when life throws us into a deep pit. It is our friendship that will get these girls through it all, and that is something to be happy for.

**Ta da! So... what do you think? I really want to know so as always you are my judges. I am sooo sorry again for being late:(. However, I am happy to say that I will be starting a new story soon with one of my favorite movies, which so happens to be Rio. If you're wandering what it is then it's another love story with my OC falling in love with the Samba loving bird and my favorite character, Nico:):):). That one maybe up during Spring Break, I don't know yet, but it is coming people so when it's here be sure to check it out.**

**Thank you everyone that has favored, followed, and waited so patiently for this story. You're all amazing! Please R&R, PM me, and all that great stuff I love. Until next time:)**


End file.
